The Key to the Dolwood and Beyond [Serion and fetch]

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pm fetch if others wish to join]

The Month of Kalendryas, the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum.


It was cold, it was dark and the twin suns were just hinting at their appearance on the edges of the sky. The dwarf stamped his feet and rubbed his gloved hands together stocky with a neatly trimmed brown beard , he wore leather fur and steel and was loaded down with weapons and a pack that looked heavy slung across his shoulders A double headed war axe was slung left to right and a mace right to left, this mace was his badge, forged at the Starlight Forge and consecrated to Cetheron this heavy weapon told the world that he was a Paladin of the order.

Dawn was close and the dwarf by the name of Athos Stonethrottle was in the fullest bloom of his life. He stood, his breath steaming in the cold air searching the area with his enhanced eyesight waiting for his charge….a Vysstichi of all things!

[Serion D'Rinishad]

Serion had managed to gather the materials he would need for his travels. His bracers were enchanted so that his body was constantly being nourished, leaving him able to feel rested off of less sleep, and get away with eating less. As such, he only packed what many would only consider a few brightenings worth of traveling food. At his waist, Serion still bore his three swords--the ardentium "Seeker's of the Faith" and his wooden "Light's Darkness". Opposite to them, Serion's belt holds a single canteen and a pack attached to his belt at his lower back for carrying his meager supplies.

Wearing his standard, white outfit, the dark elf's cloak is pulled close every now and again to ward off the cold. It was no where near the level of cold that his journey to the south had introduced him to, but it was cold nonetheless. Hair tied back and neatly groomed, as always, Serion's silver eyes glowed faintly in the darkness before the dawn. He had spent many patterns on the surface, having grown accustomed to the sunlight, so the soon to be rising sun was not something that bothered him like most vysstichi.

Catching sight of the waiting dwarf, Serion approaches. "Sir Argo Stonethrottle? I am Serion of House D'Rinishad." There really wasn't anything else to say to the dwarf. The two would have an entire cycle within the dolwoods to speak, and Serion was not stranger to these woods. He had a fortress hidden away that caused him to traverse the forest whenever he needed to visit, checking up on his D'Rinishad's that had been tasked with keeping an eye on activity from the Arc not too far from Acumin.

Awaiting the 'orders' from his newest companion, Serion prepare to set out. His plans were to prove his worth to the Naturan Paladins, and gain access to their forge. Once he obtained the Hammer of Cetheron in Arium, one of the sacred items held by the Church of Faith, he could forge one of the most powerful soulblades ever put into existance. Only time would tell how difficult his task would truly be.

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The dwarf grunted in greeting but there was nothing unfriendly in the greeting, it was just that dwarves are not exactly early morning type of people "right lets go " the dwarf hitched his gear sniffed loudly and set off in the direction of the Dolwoods. The pair marched for a couple of candlemarks in silence until they stood deep within the burgeoning canopy of the newest and most magical forest in the wide kingdom.

"Time for a brew" grunted Argo...With the minimum of fuss and with a skill born out of long practise he had a billy can of water boiling under a small fire…..With a tin mug of the strong tea in his hands the dwarf felt a little more chatty ….

“Right Serion they tell me you are no novice in fact the whisper is that you are well over qualified for Natura’s Paladins. You handle yourself like a natural in the woods, all right you being an elf helps but I noticed you quartering the ground and sky like a veteran which is unusual for a Vysstichi thought you chaps did not cope with the great outdoors too well. Those old peepers of yours don’t do light so well or perhaps you got a secret way of dealing with that little problem……."

"Those weapons at your side look like they have seen a bit of business in the past and you don’t carry them for fashion and style not that I am prying but out here a dwarf has to rely on his companion. These Dolwoods are a strange old place for someone who has not been around them ….."…..the dwarf cocked his head to one side to look at Serion… "or am I teaching me old granny to suck eggs with you mate?"

[Serion D'Rinishad]

Serion follows the dwarf dutifully, not really having too much to talk about as the duo picks their way through the landscape. Serion was used to traveling alone, so silence wasn't an issue with him. After a couple of candlemarks of walking, the vysstichi comes to a stop as the dwarf grunts that it was time for a break.

Dropping into a crossed leg position, Serion watches the dwarf work, sipping from his own waterskin. Laughing lightly as the paladin begins some conversation with him, Serion nods his head. "I have been on the surface world for quite a bit of time. The sun doesn't bother me as much as others of my race. Of course, in the end it takes me quite a bit of time to readjust my eyes to darkness compared to the past, where darkness was just the way things were."

Taking another sip, Serion attaches the skin back to his belt. "I used to be extremely good with these blades. I had an accident in the Cold South a few eras back that left me unable to do...anything. My skills degraded considerably, and I am currently working myself back into things." Letting himself glance around the woods, taking in the coolness of the shaded grounds, the dark elf lets his legs stretch out a bit. "I am rather familiar with the Dolwoods. In one section of this forest, there is an Arc that leads to the vysstichi city of Herozzal. I have spent quite a bit of time studying the magics here...of course...it's never really the same each time. It's really quite intriguing."

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Argo was fascinated by the Vysstichi , he had never really had much to do with the dark elves apart from crossing blades in some skirmish or other so to actually speak with one without having to defend his life was a novel experience. He started packing his tea kit away scuffing out the fire and running a bit of branch around their temporary camp sight to expunge any trace of their being here.

Aye he replied the Dolwoods are a strange place that’s for sure. Some say it’s because they are so new born out of stolen magic and as a consequence the forest is still trying to find its place in the world and like any new born its kinda restless.

He shifted his pack onto his back and turned back to Serion, an arc you say some sort of portal? …Never come across one of those but I would not mind seeing that one brightening but I expect it’s a secret ….don’t mind me I like a bit of a blather of…..

He stopped and cupped an ear …..Did you hear that Serion?…it was faint a voice somewhere in the near distance….a sob on the breeze and a little voice crying …“help me”…Argo pointed and with a query in his voice he looked directly at Serion…. Do you think its over there?

[Serion D'Rinishad]

It was an odd thing for Serion to be having such a civil conversation with a dwarf. The Dark Paladin still thought them funny looking, a bit dumpy perhaps, but at least Athos seemed to have an open mind about the vysstichi. The conversation could almost be considered lighthearted as the two began to get a bit more comfortable around each other.

Like all good things though, the conversation was not to last. The dwarf had heard something disconverting, and Serion mentally cursed himself for letting his senses drop a bit. He should have been the one to hear it first--a small voice on the wind crying for help. "Yes, I hear it..." the dark elf replies as he slowly rises, his ears listening for the direction that the words were coming to them.

"We should check it out. Someone crying for help in the dolwoods is probably not a native of the area." Returning the dwarf's gaze, Serion's silver eyes reveal a calm and collected mind. "There are tricksters in these woods. We should also be wary of the cry for help."

Waiting to see if the dwarf was ready to follow the floating voice, Serion would try and trace the sound to its source, right hand resting on Light's Darkness in case a quick spell should be necessary. Just because Serion wasn't afraid of the denizens of the Dolwoods did not mean he didn't respect their power.

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Argos spun on his heel at the last sentence and nodded his head …. aye lad yer right there so keep yer hands on yer weapons and yer eyes and ears open ….The old dwarf was grudgingly coming to accept the Vysstichi for his sense and caution. Normally the dwarf and dark Elf would be as close as their weapons range allowed and scrapping for their lives but comradeship allowed for a certain closeness but Argo was still cautious of the imposing elf and half an eye was covering his back at all times.

The dwarf led in the general direction of the cry his eyes searching the ground and underbrush for any sign but nothing was evident even for a tracker who could trace the passage of mist at dawn. He was puzzled every living thing left sign on the floor of the forest but not this time….he held up his arm to stop Serion… There is no sign Serion of anything out here, which is odd …. before he could finish the voice cried out again a little louder closer to where they stood ….help.

The owner of the voice was blue and was resting on the bow of a tree not six feet away from where they stood …. Over here , please, up here

Serion would spot the voice first at and as a consequence the owner of the cry…it was a Fae a blue boy Fae holding on to the tree for support, blood trickled down his sorry face and his arm seemed to held at an odd angle as if broken.

[Serion D'Rinishad]

The dark elf thought it odd that he couldn't find a trail of any kind either. His hand on Light's Darkness, Serion was about to begin casting a detection spell to try and determine what sort of life was around the two paladins. He stopped short of channeling however, the original voice crying out once more, drawing his attention away from the ground to the branches of the trees.

"A fae..." Serion says matter of factly as he catches sight of the wounded boy, clinging to the tree as if his life depended on it--and perhaps it had. "I'll get him down Argo," the vysstichi says to the dwarf before preparing a spell. "Keep an eye out for trouble. We don't know what caused his wounds."

Casting a basic light orb, Serion maneuvers the spell to the injured creature. "If you seek our aid, be still and quiet. I shall bring you down so we might tend your wounds." As the orb draws near and envelops the fae, Serion alters the shell of the spell, solidifying it in the same manner as his Sabre of Light spell.

Hopefully, without injuring the fae too much further, Serion could lower the orb carrying the fae to ground. If all went as planned, without any interruptions, the two paladins could take a look at the severity of the little creature's damage. Broken bones were hard to heal if not properly set, and there was no telling how long the fae had been calling for help.

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Serion was a skilled mage that was for sure and Argo watched fascinated by the process, he was not exactly clear what was happening but the end result was an orb of light that gathered the injured Fae inside and floated him off the branch and down to the goddess’s earth. Neat move that Serion commentated the dwarf Can you give the little fellow the once over and see if you can get him back into action?

The dwarf was watching the surrounding area carefully his hands on his axe wary alert and ready for trouble whenever it decided to stick its nose into their business.

Fortunately the blue boy Fae had fainted away and although for the moment they might not get coherent sense from him it did allow any examination to be carried out without the need for bothersome conversation.

The Fae was bruised about his body , with what looked like punches , the arm was a clean break and the bloody wound was a simple forehead scratch that bled a lot but looked far worse than it was.

Argo was on alert and as Serion got to work on the fae he became aware of shades of green that did not look natural , the bushes were dotted with these hues unmoving shades of brilliant green but as the dwarf made a step forward to inspect the unusual hues they vanished into the undergrowth.

We got company I reckons but who they are I cannot tell but it looks as though they like green ….

[Serion D'Rinishad]

Concentrating on bringing the fae to the ground safely, Serion wasn't paying as close attention to the surroundings as the dwarf was and was relying on the other paladin to watch his back--something he very rarely did these days.

Simply nodding to Argo, the vysstichi lets the orb dissipate once the wounded male was down, giving himself the chance to look over the wounds covering the battered body in front of him. Many of the wounds looked like ones Serion might have inflicted on someone when trying to get information--beatings and cleanly broken bones often made for good incentives to talk.

Taking the broken arm, Serion finds the break and grips the small arm to keep the bone lined up as his other hand touches lightly on Light's Darkness. Drawing on the Essence of Life, the paladin shapes a healing spell that he infuses into the break. While most thaumaturgist healed an entire body, Serion's skills had taught him how to target specific parts of a persons body to increase the effects of spot healing--particularly studied for a more devious spell of course.

Only taking half a minute to cast, Serion will take some dirt from the forest floor and hold it in his hand. Spitting into the dirt, the vysstichi mixes it in his hand to create a muddy paste that he wipes over the forehead cut, simply wanting to block the bloodflow long enough for the wound to stop bleeding. The rest of the wounds could heal on their own for now.

Hearing Argo's words meant that there were more important things to deal with than a few bruises. "The fae should be fine for now. Do you think we should wait for whatever these green devils plan on doing, or should we try and find a safer location for tour wounded friend here?"

Remaining crouched, to make sure none of the new visitors would have a clear shot on their new companion, Serion tried to let his dark elven eyes pierce the darkness of the dolwoods and pick out the shapes of the enemy. Identifying their species could identify their intent, or how they thought. The poor little things would be in for a fight as Serion's hand sit upon the handles of his tweo swords, ready to draw them out in a moments notice.

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Fortunately for Serion the blue Fae had fainted dead away so his healing ministrations were uninterrupted by the normal accompaniment of patients wailing. The broken arm would heal if it was properly set and the Fae would recover fully.

The dwarf grunted , “Cannot see any thing out there just these flashes of green but they be gone now.”

The Fae was recovering his senses and although he still hurt he was feeling better already….his voice was weak but the affinity with magic that all faes have was working on the bruised body, holding his broken arm the little blue Fae sat up and looked into the faces of the two paladins each of them so different from the other….

Ohhh thank you sirs…. He whispered… I thought I was a goner there for a bit are they still around?….

Seeing puzzlement in the eyes of the paladins the Fae shifted his back against a bit of tree …

Very well my name is Petrie Thistleblossom but you can call me Pete. I come from Kel’rondar and I need some help …..You see the leprechauns are out and about again and that spells deep trouble for this land as well as Kel’rondar. They are looking for gold and when a leprechaun gets the urge to find some of the shiny yellow stuff nothing anywhere is safe ……but its much worse than that …much worse and I have failed!

Pete the blue boy Fae sobbed and wiped his eyes sniffing You look like good old boys will you help me, you see the leprechauns caught me and they have the golden key?